1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to towed vehicles and in particular to and towed vehicles that are adapted to operate on and off the road.
2. The Problem and Relevant Prior Art
There has long been a problem in the agricultural equipment field relating to the dynamic weave that creates distress amongst farm workers when they are require to tow a wagon on a hard surface, dirt or black top. The problem is controlled to some degree by towing the wagon at a painfully slow speed, not much faster than one could tow the wagon across a hay field. The dynamic weave increases as the speed of the tow increases and as the load increases, it is believed to be caused by a flexing of the axles and main support beam. A loaded hay wagon can easily become so out of control from weaving that it will break or disengage the tow bar and dump the load.
The problem is, to a large extent, created from the oscillating motion in the front wheels acting out of phase with an oscillating motion occurring in the rear axle. The use of stabilizer bars as disclosed and claimed herein diminishes and eliminates the motion in the rear axle thereby eliminating one of the elements necessary in order to have the dynamic weaving condition.
The concept of stabilizer bars for assisting in the control of vehicles is not new, the prior art contains numerous types, styles and designs of such bars and ancillary equipment. Examples of prior art stabilizing equipment is disclose in issued U.S. Patents, for example; U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,620 issued Mar. 10, 1987 to Nubs for an adjustable suspension stabilizer bar that is connected to a vehicle frame and opposite ends of a vehicle axis in a fairly conventional manner, U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,070 issued Jun. 2, 1992 to Raid who discloses a rubber frame mount for a vehicle stabilizer connecting wheel suspension members on opposite sides of the vehicle, U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,306 issued Nov. 24, 1992 to Hellion for a vehicle stabilizer bar end link which includes a force absorbing and force transmitting arm having a ball stud connector at each end, U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,248 issued Jun. 8, 1993 to React discloses a heavy duty vehicle suspension system having a wheel set with a first and second suspension system including a stabilizer system and U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,094 issued Nov. 8, 1994 for a hydraulically controlled stabilizer bar system which includes a stabilizer bar connected to a support by a hydraulic actuator and an electronic controller to vary pressure in the actuator chambers.
The cited prior art taken alone or in combination along with the general knowledge of those skilled in the art fails to anticipate the invention contained and claimed in this disclosure.